While the majority of people are focused on the task of losing weight, there is a minority of a few people who are constantly looking to gain weight. There are a number of people who are naturally too thin, and thus constantly struggle to keep the weigh on. If you are one of those people, there are healthy ways to gain weight in a step-by-step, programmed manner.

First Step – Determine Your Calorie Level

The first thing that you will need to know is how many calories your body needs to take in on a daily basis in order to maintain current weight. You can calculate this figure by determining you resting metabolic rate (RMR). There are calculators that you can use that are online, or you can use this equation:

Find out your weight in kilograms: Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. This will give you your weight in kilograms.

Find out your height in centimeters by multiplying your height by inches by 2.54. For gender use 1 for the males and 0 for the females.

Step 2 – Determine How Many Calories You Need to Take In

Once the calculations are made, the average amount of calories that a typical underweight person would need to add per day to their diets is about 500. If a person is working out, or performing any other type of strenuous activity, the calories added should be even more. It would require knowing
how many calories this extra activity take and add that amount to your normal daily requirement.

Step 3 – You Will Need To Change Your Diet To Get The Additional Calories

Make certain to eat three good meals per day, and add to that two or three large snacks between meals, as this will add extra calories to your overall diet. Drinking shakes, milk and juice will also aid in taking in more calories. Eat whole grained bread with peanut butter, jelly, hummus and low fat cream cheese. Be sure to eat lots of vegetables and dense fruits. Generous portions of healthy oils such as canola oil, olive oil, palm oil and pure butter.

Step 4 – Stay Away From Unhealthy Foods and Empty Calories

Simply because you eat a high-calorie food does not mean that it will help you at all. It may or may not help you to gain weight. Much of the processed foods that we eat are full of trans fats, and although these are high in calories, they are not good for us at all, as they increase the risk of heart attack. Foods in this category include cookies, cakes, margarine, meats, snack foods and shortening.

Step 5: Life Weights

If you lift weights, you will be better able to convert the additional calories that you are taking into muscle instead of fat. Fat will burn away, but muscle will be retained by your body. This practice will also increase the metabolism, which will increase the appetite, causing you to eat even more, which in turn, will cause you to gain more weight.

If a person gets on a schedule and follows these particular steps, pounds can be added in a regular manner so that one’s health will be affected in a very positive manner.

As far as vegetarianism goes, you can’t lump it together. According to health and food experts, increasing number of people are adopting some kind of vegetarian diet. There is various type of vegetarian diet and depends on the type, what you choose to eat and not eat varies.

According to the American Dietetic Association, about 4.8 million of American adults (or 2.5 %) were consistently on a vegetarian diet in 2000, and 20 to 25 % had at least four meatless meals a week. Experts are convinced this number is increasing, as more and more vegetarian options are appearing on restaurant menus and in pre-packed foods at the stores.

What Does Vegetarian Mean?

In general, a vegetarian eats vegetables, fruits, dried peas and beans, seeds and nuts, grains and stays away from meat, fowl , and fish. Still, there are many subgroups within the so-called vegetarianism, such as:

Vegans who avoid all animal products including dairy products and eggs and eat plant foods only.

Semi-Vegetarians

And there are so-called semi-vegetarians. Dr. Susan B. Roberts, professor in the nutrition and psychiatry departments at Tufts University in Boston and author of The Instinct Diet explains “Semi-vegetarian can’t be defined as standard one. People often use this word describing their own diet, which is not strictly vegetarian diet.”

A semi-vegetarian could be someone who normally consumes vegetarian food but sometimes eats non-vegetarian food such as meat, or it could be the person who eats white meat but not red meat.

Raw Food Diet

There are some people who are dedicated to raw-food diet. Roberts explains “Raw-food diets put emphasize on eating uncooked food, purely raw products, non-homogenized, uncooked and so on. There is no one clear definition here either. There are many aspects in it. For example, some of them would only eat 100 % raw food, and others who eat raw food 70% or more and describe themselves as raw food dieter. A raw-food diet might consists of vegetables only, or it could include meat, fish, and eggs as long as they are raw”.

However, some health risks are involved when you eat a raw-food diet. Roberts cautions “Some of the uncooked foods, such as some meat or fish, could cause food poisoning”. She points out that some kinds of sprouts also may contain harmful bacteria.

Fruitarian Diet

Fruitarian diet is one of the least common kinds of vegetarian diet. Just like raw-food dieters and semi-vegetarians, there is no clear definition of what actually fruitarian means. Generally, fruitarians consume only the ripe fruits.

Roberts is not enthusiastic about the fruitarian diet. She claims “This is just insane. Fortunately, it is not popular at all, since it is difficult and would make you feel wasted very soon. You just canít consume a balanced and nutritious diet when you follow their rules. You need to add substantial foods to maintain your health, for example, grains , nuts, milk, which makes it a vegetarian diet.”

Reason Why People Choose A Vegetarian Diet

The majority of people choose to eat a vegetarian diet for health related reasons. According to a research, vegetarians have lower cholesterol , lower body mass index and lower risk of dying from heart disease. They also tend to have fewer constipation problems, less chance of developing diverticulosis, appendicitis, and gallstones.

Some people adopt vegetarianism for religious beliefs, for animal welfare or environmental concerns, because of economic reasons, or simply as they don’t like the texture or taste of meat.

Is A Vegetarian Diet Healthy?

People who strictly stick to a vegetarian diet ,may not be consuming important nutrients their body to be optimally functioning. Especially, the concern is vitamin B-12. The animal is the only natural source of vitamin B-12. Other nutrients in concern are iron, protein, calcium, vitamin D, and zinc. Therefore if you are thinking of adopting vegetarianism, better to talk to a nutritionist first to make sure you consume enough nutrients you require to stay healthy.

If you take certain vitamin supplements to compensate deficient nutrients and organize your meal plan carefully, being a vegetarian can be a satisfying, healthy and peaceful way of life.

Your daily duties are not that easy to manage. Youíve got family, work, and life, all needs your full attention yet you have very limited time to attend to each task. Despite all these challenges, one thing is for sure, there is no shortcut for maintaining a healthy diet. For your body to function properly, food is the essential need to overcome routine stress and life tiredness.

Turning Food into Fuel

The source of energy in your bodies is the foods you eat and the liquid you drink. The body burns down the three essential nutrients into energy. These nutrients include carbohydrates,fats, and proteins. But carbohydrates has the highest energy output out of the three nutrients and therefore the body uses it as the primary source of energy. Metabolism is the process by which simple molecules that have been absorbed into the blood are naturally converted to energy.

There are basically two types of carbohydrates, that is, complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. All these types are broken down to the simplest unit of carbohydrate which is the simple sugar glucose. The cells in the body can only use glucose as a source of energy as acclaimed by Melissa Rifkin who is a registered dietitian at the Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York.

The Best food for Sustained Energy

Most foods that are slow to digest are usually complex carbohydrates. Taking in whole-grains, high-fiber cereals, starchy vegetables, and dried beans is the best way to acquire high energy that can last longer in the body. The high content of fiber in complex carbohydrates is a result of the slow digestion as noted by Rifkin. The sugar level balance is well maintained by complex carbohydrates which does not require much insulin to be produced by the pancreas, also, these carbs reduce the occasional hunger.

Proteins that also supply energy to the body include turkey, chicken, pork, fish, tenderloin, legumes such as beans and lentils among others. On the other hand, both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados and certain oils can supply energy for the body too.

Suzanne Lugerner, a director of clinical nutrition at Washington Hospital Center, D.C., recommends taking sufficient fluids in order to sustain high energy in the body. This is because water is essential for both digestion and absorption as well as transport of nutrients within the body. Lack of energy in the body is due to dehydration. You can drink not less than 6 glasses of water on a daily basis.

Foods to Avoid

The first step you should take in ensuring a healthy energy-rich diet is avoiding simple sugars. Cookies, sugary beverages and candy should be limited because the body needs not to break them down further therefore absorbing them directly. This is because simple carbohydrates can provide a lot of energy in a burst, which can only last for a few minutes, usually less than an hour. Other stimulants and depressants such as caffeine and alcohol respectively, should also be limited. Depressants will always ease the level of energy in the body while stimulants just work like simple carbohydrates.

Scheduling Meals for Sustained Energy

Going for over three hours without taking a meal or a snack is not healthy as noted by a Cleveland-based registered dietician, Tara Harwood. Harwood recommends that you should take at an average of three main meals and three snacks on a daily basis. You should also consider balancing all food groups during your daily meals.

In general, taking in essential food that provides energy to your body for the whole day is one way of rewarding your body.